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Kolkata Knight Riders batter Rovman Powell played a crucial role in keeping his team’s playoff hopes alive with a composed innings against the Mumbai Indians, and the West Indian later revealed that the Eden Gardens pitch actually reminded him of conditions back home in the Caribbean. Powell scored an important 40 in a difficult chase where wickets kept falling regularly at the other end, helping KKR secure a valuable four-wicket victory.

Unlike the usual high-scoring IPL surfaces where the ball comes nicely onto the bat, Powell felt the Eden Gardens pitch offered more grip and uneven pace.
The KKR batter said those conditions suited his natural game because they were similar to the wickets he had grown up playing on in the Caribbean.
“I said it’s a typical Caribbean wicket. It might not be the wicket of the IPL where the ball is sliding onto the bat, but it’s a typical Caribbean wicket where it holds in the wicket a little bit. “So I guess I would understand how to bat on it,” said Powell.

His calm approach during the chase helped KKR avoid another batting collapse in a tense contest. Powell targeted a shorter boundary during the chase. Powell explained that once a batter spent some time in the middle, the key was to attack the shorter side of the ground rather than force risky shots against the conditions.

The strategy worked well as he rotated strike smartly and punished loose deliveries whenever Mumbai bowlers missed their lengths.
“I think the score tells you that all you need to do is just get a start, and once you get a start, you target the short side. It’s not one of those wickets where it’s placid, where it’s sliding onto the bat.

“But having said that, it’s good to contribute to a team win,” he said. His innings eventually proved to be one of the difference-makers in KKR’s successful chase.

KKR is still focused on the final league game
The victory kept Kolkata Knight Riders mathematically alive in the playoff race, although qualification still depends on other results. Powell, however, said the team is not thinking too far ahead and wants to focus only on playing positive cricket in the final league match. “You know, that’s the beauty of the game. It’s important for us to just keep on focusing on the last game. Not worried about qualifying, not qualifying. It’s just for us now to play good cricket in our last game and whatever happens, happens,” he added. KKR will now head into their final fixture knowing that a win is necessary if they want to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.